Tuesday, October 25, 2016

iRobot

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That may be the next headline I write for a client (it's a damn good one, too).Tomorrow's advertisers will target not consumers, but consumers' “personal algorithmic assistants,” according to futurist J. Walker Smith.

In only a few years, we'll be surrounded by smart devices loaded with sensors, “so we can passively maintain our lives while the sensors and technology actively handle the details," Smith says.Sensors in our phones will choose the music we play based on our moods. Sensors in our necklaces will monitor our caloric intake. Sensors in our shoes will connect to Google Maps and lead us to the store. Sensors in our toothbrushes will track how many times we brush our teeth each week and report our habit to the dentist. Advertisers will therefore sell to sensors, rather than consumers, Smith predicts.Ad copy will seek to change the "preference profiles" directing the sensors' algorithms.Ad man David Ogilvy once admonished his agency's copywriters to respect their audiences."The consumer isn't a moron. She's your wife."I look forward to the day I can say, "The consumer isn't a moron. She's your toothbrush."